The Monday evening opening reception of the Lemelson Fall 2009 Gallery Show was standing room only, and not just because there were only 3 benches in the gallery! Students, staff, and faculty from across campus as well as alumni and other visitors gathered in the library gallery to view Lemelson Center work in art, design, technology, sustainability, and entrepreneurship. Attendees were treated to Belgian waffles provided by Simply Waffles, a startup business created by student Stephen Akbeg under the guidance of Lemelson Director and faculty Colin Twitchell.
Show visitors wait in line for a taste of Simply Waffles.
The work on display included “Alphabike”, a photographic series by Division III student Molly McLeod consisting of closeup shots of bicycle parts arranged to spell the alphabet; Functional and decorative items created by Hampshire blacksmithing students Sebastian Bertsch, Daniel Eareckson, and David Axel Kurtz; “Nest (Safety?)”, a steel and glass sculpture by alum Katie Richardson, and a “Green Steam Engine”, built by staff member Don Dupuis and students from his Machine Shop Instruction class. The engine, designed by Robert Green in 2003, is a step forward for steam power, which has been left to languish since losing relevance in the mid 20th century. With this new model, Dupuis hopes to explore new applications for steam engine use.
Lemelson staff member Donald Dupuis explains the design of the Green Steam Engine.
A strong presence in the gallery was made with the work of members of the Women’s Design and Fabrication course. Formerly a non-academic course, “Women’s Fab”, as it is commonly called, is an introductory shop course that is designed to provide female students with a shop environment that addresses their unique needs and concerns about learning new skills. Student work included several metal lamps, a sculptural mushroom piece, and a metal hand. Course instructor Pat Bennett encouraged students to use recycled or found objects in their projects, with stunning results.
Although this is the first gallery show of its kind that Lemelson has installed, we hope to make it a regular fall event. Thanks to everyone who attended, and if you didn’t make it, there is still time to see the gallery, which remains up until this Friday, November 20th.
Please join our facebook page, “Hampshire College Lemelson Center”, to see more photos of the event.
Nest (Safety?), a sculpture created by Lemelson alum Katie Richardson.